Legal challenges far behind it, discount grocery WinCo Foods has started hiring in preparation for its opening in the spring in Ventura.

“Everything is right now on track. (There’s) no significant problems or delays,” WinCo spokesman Michael Read said. “We’re real excited about the new opportunity.”

Meanwhile, another discount store, Wal-Mart, has yet to show much progress at its Ventura location off Victoria Avenue.

Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on when it expects to open.

Ventura’s community development director, Jeff Lambert, said the city issued permits to Wal-Mart late last year, “but we haven’t seen any activity, and they haven’t notified us of any activity.”

WinCo will likely open in late April or May, Read said.

The store is in the former Mervyns building at 4750 Telephone Road. WinCo initially received city approvals to open in March 2011, but a group of residents appealed the Design Review Committee’s decision to the City Council. After the council upheld the committee’s ruling, a group called Venturans for Responsible Growth sued the city, alleging it violated parts of the California Environmental Quality Act related to signs and other changes on the property.

A Ventura County Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit.

In recent weeks, WinCo mailed fliers advertising job openings.

“We’ll be hiring roughly 200 people,” Read said. “The vast majority will be able to work 40 hours per week if that is what they want to do.”

WinCo is an employee-owned company. The store will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We pay not only competitive wages, but we have extraordinary health care benefits and very excellent pensions through employee ownership,” Read said.

After a coalition of residents, community groups and business owners began lobbying against the store, the City Council limited the size of any new big-box store on Victoria Avenue to less than 100,000 square feet.

The planned 99,000-square-foot Wal-Mart will open at a former Kmart shopping center at 1739 Victoria Ave.

With all the city approvals in place, construction could start anytime.